Mia Hamm scored two goals and set up four others, and Kristine Lilly added two goals, as the U.S women’s national team opened U.S. Women’s Cup ’98 with a dominating 9-0 win over Mexico in front of 35,462 fans at Foxboro Stadium. It was the largest non-Olympic crowd ever to watch the U.S. women in the United States. Foxboro will serve as one of eight stadiums for the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup in June and July of next summer. U.S. forward Mia Hamm scored the 98th and 99th goals of her international career, putting her one away from the magical 100-goal milestone. With her next score, Hamm will join Italy’s Elisabetta Vignotta (108 career goals) and Carolina Morace (105) as the only players, women or men, to score 100 international goals. With the Italians long-retired, Hamm will then set her sights on the world record. A scrappy and hustling Mexican team held the Americans scoreless for 17 minutes, but it couldn’t deny the inevitable, as the USA exploded for five goals in the next 27 minutes of the first half, with the first two barely a minute apart. Mexico ran at the U.S. in the beginning of the match, and succeeded in disrupting the Americans’ rhythm, but they couldn’t stop Tifffeny Milbrett, as she set up the first two scores with penetrating dribbles in the left side of the penalty box. Her first cross was poorly cleared by Mexican defender Gabriela Arias and Hamm pounced on the rebound to knock in her 98th international goal from just four yards out. One minute later, Milbrett wriggled through two defenders and again crossed into the middle, where Lilly tapped the ball in from three yards out. Milbrett got a goal of her own in the 32nd minute, taking a pass from Michelle Akers before cracking a 28-yard dipping shot that stuck into lower right corner of the net. Milbrett then had a foot in the fourth goal in the 40th minute as Lilly sprung Hamm in the penalty box with a piercing square pass. Hamm’s initial shot was blocked, but Milbrett kept the ball alive, sliding to knock it off the right post and Hamm cleaned it up, finishing crisply from five yards out for number 99. “A whole bunch of people scored tonight and that’s a positive for the team,” said Hamm afterwards. “But Mexico has some young players with good skill and more experience will help them.” Two minutes later, Lilly got her second goal, weaving through two defenders in the penalty box before slamming a right-footed shot into the net from 10 yards out. Lilly became the first player in international soccer history to play in 160 games, and continues to extend her world record for international appearances, men or women. The two goals gave her 61 for her international career. Hamm then assisted on the final four goals, setting up Shannon MacMillan, Joy Fawcett, Tisha Venturini and Debbie Keller. MacMillan added the sixth goal, breaking a year-long scoreless streak when she knocked in a Hamm cross in the 52nd minute. Fawcett, a defender who hadn’t scored since June 10, 1995, against Australia at the 1995 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Sweden, headed in Hamm’s corner kick in the 60th minute for her 16th international goal. Venturini slid to knock in Hamm’s cross in the 65th minute, and Keller added the final goal eleven minutes later. Hamm had several chances to get her 100th goal, but Mexican goalkeeper Ivette Valdez made a sliding save on a breakaway and Hamm put a volley high several minutes later. “It was an outstanding crowd tonight and it would have been wonderful to see Mia score her 100th,” said U.S. coach Tony DiCicco. “But there will be plenty of chances for that in this tournament and we have two tough games left against Russia and Brazil. I commend Mexico for their fight and they are a team that will keep improving.” Hamm will shoot for the century mark this Friday, Sept. 18, against Russia at Frontier Field in Rochester, N.Y. as U.S. Women’s Cup ’98 play continues. The match kicks off at 8 p.m. (ET) and will be televised live on ESPN. Mexico will face Brazil at 5:30 p.m. in the first match of the doubleheader. Russia and Brazil kick off their tournament on Tuesday, Sept. 15, meeting at Hartwick College’s Elmore Field in Oneonta, N.Y. in a match televised live on ESPN at 3 p.m. ET. Sept. 12 in Foxboro, Mass. USA 9 Mexico 0. Goals: Hamm 18, Lilly 19, Milbrett 32, Hamm 40, Lilly 42, MacMillan 52, Fawcett 60, Venturini 65, Keller 76. USA — Ducar, Pearce, Overbeck (MacMillan, 46), Sobrero, Fawcett, Chastain (Rutten, 70), Akers (Venturini, 46), Foudy, Lilly (Whalen, 46), Milbrett (Keller, 46), Hamm. Mexico — Quinones (Valdez, 46), Ireta, Perez, Lopez, Vasquez (Olguin, 64), Vergara, Hill, Arias (Zarete, 46), Leyva, Mora, Dominguez. Referee: Nancy Lay. Att.: 35,462.
U.S. Women’s Cup ’98 Standings
| TEAM | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA | P |
| USA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3 |
| Brazil | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Russia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mexico | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |